Judge: Brian Cogan

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It is an unfortunate reality that many employment discrimination cases are dismissed. These cases are often difficult to prove, and success requires navigating a path riddled with hurdles, ranging from statutes of limitation, to proper pleading, to dismissal on summary judgment following the completion of discovery. A recent example is Edwards v. N.Y. State Office of…

Read More Court Dismisses Born Again Christian’s Employment Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, and Retaliation Claims
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In Romero v. City of N.Y., No. 16 CIV. 4157 (BMC), 2016 WL 6155935 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 21, 2016), Eastern District of New York Judge Cogan dismissed the race discrimination claims of plaintiff, a firefighter, for various reasons, including under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) because they did not plausibly allege discrimination. From the decision: As…

Read More “Serpico” Reference is an Insufficient Stand-In For Facts; FDNY Plaintiff’s Race Discrimination Complaint Dismissed For Failure to State a Claim
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In Durick v. New York City Dep’t of Educ., No. 15 CIV. 7441 (BMC), 2016 WL 4385908 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 17, 2016), the court held that plaintiff’s failure-to-accommodate-disability and constructive discharge claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act survived summary judgment. Failure to Accommodate As to plaintiff’s failure to accommodate claim, the court explained: In order…

Read More Parking Space Reasonable Accommodation (Disability) Claim Survives Summary Judgment
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In Green v. Rochdale Village Social Services, Inc., No. 15 CIV. 5824 (BMC), 2016 WL 4148322 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 4, 2016), the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff – a van driver employed by a senior center – asserted that she was subjected to sexual harassment by a…

Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Proceeds Based on Sexual Conduct by Non-Employee Senior Citizen Client
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In Brown v. Queens Center for Progress, No. 16 CIV 1399, 2016 WL 1171593 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 24, 2016), Eastern District Judge Brian Cogan dismissed the pro se plaintiff’s employment discrimination complaint for failure to state a claim. The court succinctly explains what the federal anti-discrimination laws cover (and, arguably more importantly, what they do not cover): Plaintiff…

Read More Court Explains That Federal Anti-Discrimination Law Does Not Entitle Workers to be Treated Fairly, Reasonably, or Wisely
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In Rodriguez v. New York City Health & Hospitals Corp., No. 14 CIV. 4960 BMC, 2015 WL 5229850 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 8, 2015), the Eastern District of New York granted defendant summary judgment on plaintiff’s sexual orientation discrimination and quid pro quo sexual harassment claims. In sum, plaintiff alleged that “he was denied employment by defendants…

Read More Hiring of Better-Qualified Candidate, Notwithstanding “Unprofessional and Coarse” Text Messages, Defeats Sexual Orientation Discrimination (Failure-to-Hire) Claim
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In Lashley v. New Life Bus. Inst., Inc., No. 13 CIV. 2683 BMC, 2015 WL 1014128 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2015), the Eastern District of New York upheld a jury verdict in favor of Corey Lashley on his quid pro quo and hostile work environment sexual harassment claims. In this case, plaintiff Corey Lashley alleged, among other things,…

Read More Court Upholds Jury’s Verdict that Male Plaintiff Endured Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment by Female Boss
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In Bright v. Coca Cola, 12-cv-234 (EDNY Nov. 3, 2014), an employment discrimination case, the Eastern District of New York granted summary judgment in defendant’s favor. Judge Cogan’s decision is instructive regarding the use of depositions in employment litigation. For non-lawyers/litigators, a “deposition” is (briefly and generally speaking) a witness’s out-of-court testimony that is reduced to…

Read More “Have You Identified All Facts Supporting Your Claims?”
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